Turkish police conducted severe anti-LGBT+ raids, leading to numerous arrests and censorship amid international concern.
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Turkish police conducted coordinated raids from September 12 to 14 under the name “My Family Is Safe,” resulting in over one hundred arrests targeting LGBT+ community centers, organizations, and activists. Authorities cited obscenity, sex work, and drug offenses for these arrests, while simultaneously censoring media and social media accounts supporting human and LGBT+ rights, continuing a pattern of silencing in Turkish public life. Over one hundred people were also arrested for protesting the police operations but later released. This severe anti-LGBT+ drive has drawn international criticism; an EU spokesperson stated that Turkey must respect fundamental rights like freedom of expression and assembly, while civil society groups worldwide called for an end to criminalizing LGBT+ movements and demanded the release of detainees. Critics argue the repression is a tactic used by the government, led by President Erdoğan, to deflect from domestic issues and consolidate political support ahead of elections, noting that anti-LGBT+ rhetoric has been part of a broader authoritarian trend in Turkey, which also includes crackdowns on journalists and political opposition figures.
